Nov. 5 Newsletter: RVA votes in big numbers as Dems sweep

Weather: Gusty wind this afternoon, but otherwise warm and pleasant. High of 71.

On this date in 1973, Raymond D. Royall is appointed to City Council. Royall later would fake his own death and flee to St. Louis as his business took on debt. He was captured by the FBI and returned to Richmond to face trial. (more)

Today's newsletter sponsored by Virginia Commonwealth University: As a top 20% global university, Virginia Commonwealth University is an unparalleled powerhouse of innovation and creative problem solving. VCU attacks challenges as opportunities. It's truly a university unlike any you’ve ever seen.

Richmond House seats flip blue, joining statewide trend

After lower-than-expected turnout last year, Richmond voters returned to the polls in large numbers on Tuesday, with Richmond City, Henrico and Chesterfield all voting for the three Democrats atop the state ticket.

• Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger performed the strongest of the three, winning 58% of the vote.
• Lt. Gov.-elect Ghazala Hashmi finished with 55%, which will create a special election for her state Senate seat locally.
• Attorney General-elect Jay Jones received 53% of the vote, prevailing despite a controversy over offensive text messages.

The lawmaker who Jones sent those texts to, Republican Del. Carrie Coyner, lost her Chesterfield seat to Lindsey Dougherty.

Of the 100 House of Delegates seats, Democrats will likely occupy 64, their largest margin since 1989.

Democrat May Nivar defeated incumbent Del. David Owen in western Henrico’s 87th House District, and in Chesterfield’s 73rd House District, Democrat Leslie Mehta unseated Del. Mark Earley Jr. Read more here.

New York City’s newest first lady is a VCU grad

In one of the nation’s most closely watched elections on Tuesday night, Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected the mayor of New York City. His wife, Rama Duwaji, is a VCU Arts alumna who had her first exhibited show as an artist in Richmond. Read more here.

Another major affordable housing project off Walmsley Boulevard in the works

The NOON Cottrell project would add up to 402 housing units spread across two buildings near the intersection of Broad Rock and Walmsley.

The project “will provide hundreds of new, high-quality units at affordable rates,” an attorney with the project wrote in the application. Read more here.

Utility meter problem will delay bills for thousands of South Richmond customers

Richmond officials say they’re working to resolve an issue with faulty utility meter data by delaying and lowering bills for thousands of South Richmond customers impacted by the problem.

"This small adjustment is the first step in building that transparency and trust with our customers." CAO Odie Donald II said in a press release. Read more here.

Today's sponsor:

VCU is pursuing the acquisition of the Altria Center for Research and Technology

The 450,000-square-foot center would replace outdated facilities and accelerate VCU's groundbreaking research and cutting-edge health sciences programs.

Key takeaways:

• Replacing older buildings will accommodate transdisciplinary teaching and research and eliminate nearly $400 million in deferred maintenance.
• Acquisition is five to nine years faster and less than one-third the cost of new construction.
• Includes state-of-the-art research labs and academic space at a fraction of the cost to build new.
• Modern research and teaching space is essential to keep Virginia at the forefront of medical innovation and education.

Read more.

In other news

• Avula discusses grand plan to redevelop the long-vacant Richmond Coliseum (Times-Dispatch)
  • The mayor said the city is "reenvisioning" the project, which was started under Levar Stoney, and indicated the city will issue a new round of requests for proposals.
• RVA 25 unveiled: See which company topped this year’s list with 2,000% growth (BizSense)
  • The publication's rating of private companies is based on annual revenue growth over the past three years.
• Richmond's holiday pop-up bars return with reservations starting now (Axios)
  • Birdie's reservations will only be available with a canned food donation tonight at the downtown restaurant.

The editor's desk

TEDx, a national speaker series, will return to Richmond this Saturday night. The event will be held at Collegiate School's Hershey Center for the Arts, with tickets available for free. Get more info on the speakers and topics here.

Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org

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